Devastating flooding kills at least 290 in Colombia
Hundreds of people are missing and 290 are confirmed dead after heavy rain caused rivers to overflow their banks, filling homes in Mocoa, Colombia, with mud.
Colombian officials said that 290 people were killed in the mudslides. The Red Cross reported it had received 374 requests to help find missing loved ones in the southwestern city. More than 1,100 soldiers and police officers were called in to help dig people out in 17 affected neighborhoods.
"A burst of heavy rain impacted the mountainous area around Mocoa on Friday night and caused flash flooding," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jordan Root said. "Rain that fell across the mountains quickly funneled into the valley which likely led to a quick rise in the river."
This handout photo released by the Colombia Presidential Press Office, shows an aerial view of a portion of Mocoa, Colombia, Saturday, April 1, 2017, after an avalanche of water from an overflowing river swept through the city as people slept. The incident triggered by intense rains left at least 112 people dead in Mocoa, located near Colombia's border with Ecuador. (Cesar Carrion/Colombian Presidential Press Office via AP)
According to the Associated Press, witnesses described feeling buildings vibrate as the flood began. Although an alarm reportedly went off, it could not be heard throughout the city, survivors said. Videos that some residents posted online showed large areas filled with wood planks and debris.
A soldier carries a child in Mocoa, Colombia, Saturday, April 1, 2017, after an avalanche of water from an overflowing river swept through the city as people slept. The incident triggered by intense rains left over 150 people dead in Mocoa, located near Colombia's border with Ecuador. (Colombian Army Photo via AP)
There are "hundreds of families we have not yet found and whole neighborhoods have disappeared," Governor Sorrel Aroca of the Putumayo department told W radio.
Aroca called the situation "an unprecedented tragedy" for the area.
Mocoa is in an area vulnerable to flooding as three rivers flow through the basin with mountainous terrain on several sides of the town.
Deforestation in the region also has heightened the risk for flooding and mudslides.
More than 5 inches (125 mm) of rain fell on Friday night into Saturday morning. Normal rainfall for the month of April is close to 16 inches (406 mm).
Additional showers and thunderstorms are possible in the region through the weekend, however flooding downpours are not expected.
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